Harry Potter and the Final Horcrux
by EmeraldProngs19
Summary: A story of Harry's life right after HBP ends. There is quite a bit of romance: H and HR, Gand N, and R and L, but it's pretty much a genral stick to Jo's facts story.
1. A Meeting with McGonagall

Harry Potter and the Final Horcrux

Chapter 1

Meeting McGonagall

"Mister Potter? And Miss Granger and Mister Weasley?"

"HOLY-" yelled Ron, obviously startled by the quiet arrival of the speaker. A petite 5th year with her hair in a neat blonde ponytail was standing right over his head, close enough to murder him with one swipe of a knife. Of course, she had no such intentions, but these days Harry measured everything in how they could be killed. Ever since Snape…

"May we help you?" ask Hermione in a tight voice, as though to conceal emotions, which was what she was doing. She had been crying in Ron's lap for the past half hour. The funeral was murdering her, Harry thought with an inward smile. It felt good to be able to make a joke- albeit a corny one, as Dumbledore's death had affected him as well.

"Oh, err…," said the girl as she scrambled around in the pockets of her robes to find something. She came up with a role of parchment, which she promptly flattened out on her knee.

"Professor McGonagall would like you in the headmistress's office immediately. She says the password is quite simple, and Miss Granger should be able to figure it out in a snap…you two _are_ dumb then. Even McGonagall thinks so," she said eying Ron and Harry with her surveying eyes. "I never quite understood why you're a prefect! My older brother says that you both kind of suck at everything except Quidditch. And that Harry is good at defense," she added in an afterthought.

"Well, I'm sure your brother is a most pleasant young man," said Harry, while Hermione stifled a giggle. "And thanks for the message. It was…useful."

"Any time," said the girl. "Lyssie, by the way. Lyssie Corner. I'll see you around!" she said and disappeared into a gaggle of girls ((A/N: I have no clue if that's a real word- I just always say it, so it's kind of a real term in my book. You know what? Let us call it a wizarding term……..))

"Well, strange girl," said Hermione, lifting her head up and leaning back against Ron. "Wouldn't expect much more from Michael Corner's little sister."

"_Corner_," hissed Ron. "Should have known."

Harry rolled his eyes and got to his feet. "Don't want to be late."

As they approached the great gargoyle that concealed the entrance to the winding staircase, the three began to brainstorm.

"Dumbledore, maybe?" suggested Hermione. "It would make sense."

"The Order of the Phoenix?" added Harry.

"How about 'tabby cat'?" asked Ron. "I mean it's what she is!"

"Ronald don't be ridiculous," said Hermione and turned to face the gargoyle. "Professor McGonagall is far to sophisticated to use 'tabby cat!'"

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, the gargoyle sprang to life. The grand staircase was revealed.

"Dumb luck," mumbled Hermione.

"So what do you suppose McGonagall wants?" asked Harry as he strode towards the stairs.

"She wants you and me to go up on the roof of the North Tower and put on pink mini-dresses and do a tap dancing routine," Ron replied with an incredibly straight face.

"Wearing bunny slippers," added Harry with a laugh.

"And singing a muggle song. How about 'Did you ever know that you're a zero'. I never understood that song. Why do they always play that on the radio when Mum is listening to the ballad station?"

Hermione shook her head, looking quite exasperated and knocked on the door. "It's 'Did you ever know that you're my hero'."

Harry laughed, but immediately silenced himself when the door flew open. Professor McGonagall was sitting at her desk with a quill scribbling away furiously as she looked over the paperwork that was scattered over the majestic oak desk. "Come in, come in!" she barked ((A/N: I never feel right describing someone whose animagus form is a cat as barking, but it fits here)) without once looking up from her papers. "I don't have all day you three! Owls and inquiries coming in…." she grumbled.

"You wanted to see us, Professor?" asked a meek Hermione. She had never seen her Head of House this scattered. Obviously seeing her neat and orderly role model looking this barmy ((A/N: Oh, what a fun word!)) disturbed her.

"Yes, yes. It appears that the late Headmaster left you some things. There's a crate in the corner."

"Thanks, Professor…….Er, we were wondering- do you think it would be possible for us to leave Hogwarts for a while- maybe complete 7th year in a few years?" asked a timid Hermione

"I suppose. It's been done before. Although I believe you would each pass your NEWT tests if you study at home. That's really all that matters. Passing the NEWTs," she replied, finally looking up from her work.

Harry, shocked at his teacher's amazingly sullen and anti-learning approach to her answer, asked timidly, "So could we take the NEWTs _now_ if we want to?"

"Of course! You can simply go down to the ministry and hope someone will test you. They make you pay, mind you. And your memories will be erased so you cannot discuss the tests afterwards with any of your fellow 7th years. But are you sure you want to leave?"

"Quite," said Hermione briskly. "Nice to see you again Professor. Until we meet again."

"G'bye, Professor," said Ron as he and Harry tried to lift the heavy crate with their names on it. "Oof. This thing is heavy, damn it!"

"Language, Mister Weasley," said Professor McGonagall.

"You two," Hermione groaned and looked up at the ceiling. "_Wingardium Leviosa_! Are you wizards, or are you baboons brandishing sticks?"

"Baboons."

Authors Note: HI! This is my first fan-fiction, so don't blame me for my terrible random outbursts that tend to occur in the middle of the story (there will be a Ron with Cheese moment soon)! The contents of the mysterious crate (OOOO…AHHHH) will be revealed in the next chapter. Also, I would like to let the world know that Lyssie is modeled after me, in a small way (I'm not that mean)! If anyone wants to hear more about the history of the term 'gaggle of girls' please include it in your reviews (I was thinking about this when I was taking a snack break. I have a good fantasy explanation!), which I will never ask you to write, by the way. 3 u all! Emerald Prongs- OUT. (Sorry, American idol was on)(Wow, I used a lot of parenthesis!)(Parenthesis are fun, and you know it!)


	2. The White Will

The White Will

"'Ermione, this one's for you."

The 3 friends were sitting on the floor of the Room of Requirements, sorting through the objects of the crate. Each object was packaged neatly and had one of their names on it. It reminded Harry of Christmas to some extent. Just not quite as jolly and grand.

As soon as all of the packages had been sorted, (Hermione insisted that this is how it should be done. She said she needed order after seeing the state of Professor McGonagall's desk) Harry ripped open a large envelope with his name written across the top in big letters. Inside was a thick manuscript with 10 or 12 pages of written document, all written in Dumbledore's familiar script.

"Read it, Harry!" said Hermione.

Harry took a deep breath and began to read the document in his hands.

"_Dear Harry,_

_If you are reading this, I am going to assume that I am very much not alive. I have no doubt in my mind you will spend no petty time mourning; you have far too much to do. _

_As you know, my guess is that there are 7 horcruxes out there, 2 of which we have already destroyed, and our quest is to destroy the rest. But as I have passed on, it is now yours and your friends, Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger. You may very well have to endure some attacks (not to mention long nights in the library-"_

Ron groaned.

"_- but I am sure you can handle the responsibility. Attached to the back is a list of some good books on artifacts and one or two on horcruxes themselves, and a list of my suspicions on the location of 2 other horcruxes._

_Also attached to the back of this document are letters to your 2 friends. I ask that you find these and let your friends read for a while."_

Harry leafed through the manuscript and found 2 considerably short letters addressed to Ron and Hermione. Hermione immediately read through the letter and gasped.

"Wah? Wah?" said Ron, still on the first sentence of his letter.

"_Dear Miss Granger,_

_As you know, your friend, Mr. Potter, has a prophecy to his name. What you do not know, is that you and your other friend, Mr. Weasley, are included in a prophecy made by Professor Trelawney around the middle of your 6th year. If you could ask Harry to open the box entitled 'Memories', I would be very pleased."_

Harry scrambled around to find the box. It was very small and made of fine mahogany. When he opened the box, he saw rows upon rows of bottles, each filled with the misty substance Harry knew to be memories. They were categorized alphabetically, by the owner of the memories last name. There must have been hundreds of memories in there, as the box was deceptively small. Harry realized it must have been enchanted with the same spell as Moody's trunk.

"Bloody hell, Harry! What are those things?" whispered Ron, awed by the amount of bottles the box held.

"Memories. I've seen Dumbledore use these bottles before. He just takes the cap out and the memory comes out. What memory does he say to use, Hermione?"

"Err… Frieze the Centaur- Trelawney Sybil- Prophecy of three"

"Firenze? Since when dos he even talk to Professor Trelawney?"

"They are in the same department, Ron," sighed Hermione.

"Got it," said Harry

"Well then, open it up!"

Harry carefully pulled the cork out of the bottle that contained yet another prophecy to ruin his life. Why did stuff like this always happen to him? Just once, he would have liked to be the one who looked on in fear, as someone else had terrible people trying to kill him.

The centaur and the seer rose from the bottle, and the spooky, raspy voice Harry had come to fear, filled the room.

_The three can unite against the Dark lord_

_With the help of the White Wizard, they can destroy the barriers that stand in their way_

_The chosen one, the blood traitor, and the muggle born will become one _

_Their friendship can be stronger than any will see again_

_Their combined bravery, loyalty, and wit can overcome_

_Their love and trust can dominate over the evil and hatred_

_And forever more the Golden Trio may reign_

_If they unite not, the world will surly be lost to the darkness_

_And the Dark Lord rule the community of witches and the world of muggles_

_The three can unite against the Dark lord….._

Hermione began to read once more:

"_As you can tell, there is a rather straight forward prophecy involved, to the untrained ear that is. There is a deeper message involved in this. The simple way of looking at this prophecy is that it is about how your love and friendship will overcome Lord Voldemort. However, as you might have been able to tell, it says that the White Wizard's help is required. I am inclined to think that this wizard is me, which is why I have decided to bestow you with the rings._

_Remember Hermione, your element is brilliance. Use it to your advantage, but also realize that there are other important things you must learn about, many of which you can learn from you friends. Be impulsive and learn to have some fun every once and a while. The tense fear, which you (and admittedly my past self) live in, is not good for anyone. _

_To Hermione Jane Granger I bestow:_

_My personal library (approximately 2000 books)_

_Mary's ring and diary_

_My quill collection_

_A pair of hand knit wool socks_

_One sixth of my estate_

_-Albus Dumbledore"_

"So that's what this is!" said Ron, poking a package, which looked as though it contained the socks. "I thought this was a Weasley sweater!"

Harry groaned at his friend's obliviousness. "Just read your letter, Ron."

"Dear Mr. Weasley…blah, blah, blah. Boring stuff. Prophecy crap…ummmm… stuff about how I'm loyal and humorous, and will always shine through," he mumbled under his breath. "Here we go! I got his letter collections, his sneak-a-scope, Jonathan's ring and spell book, and bloody hell! Half his estate- 2 thirds for the family! Blimey! Oh yeah, and socks. What is with the socks, Harry?"

"He was a mysterious man Ron," said Harry impatiently. "Aren't you the least bit excited about the prophecy?"

"I suppose. But I'm more interested about the- BLOODY HELL! THESE SOCKS SMELL LIKE CHEESE! CHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESE!"

"Oh. My. Lord," was Hermione's only way of replying to this. "Oh. My. Lord."

After Ron was settled down, (he admitted to being a recovering cheese addict) Harry read the last part of his letter.

"Where was I? Letters, memories, very pleased….here we are!

_As you can tell, more than one prophecy has been made about you, Harry. You are the luck and bravery of the 'Golden trio' mentioned, just as Hermione is the brain, and Ron brings loyalty and humor. You must constantly work on both your offense and defense of dueling._

_As you may have noticed, the names Mary and Jonathan appear in your friend's letters. The two of them were my two best friends when I attended Hogwarts, many years ago. By now, they are both dead, but our story lives on. I expect that Hermione knows the tale already, but for your sake, I will tell it again._

_Mary, Jon, and I were inseparable, quite like you and your friends, Mary was very much like Hermione and Jon like Ron. By our 7th year, Mary and I were head boy and girl, and Jon was the captain of the Quidditch team. We were the most powerful group at Hogwarts, and top of our classes to boot. But outside Hogwarts, a different wizard was beginning to gain control. _

_Much like Voldemort, the evil wizard of my time was power-hungry and greedy. Septenrite wished to control all of the world's magical population, and kill the muggles. Jon and I became very interested in defeating him, and eventually Mary gave in. We discovered his weakness and a year into our Auror training we attacked. The four of us battled for days, taking some of the 'War Prince's court' down as well. He was left with few supporters, and was greatly wounded by the loss _and_ the battle, making it easy for Auror George Potter (your great-great-great grandfather) to kill him. Although we did not get much credit for this, we were recognized, and were asked to study privately with Nicholas Flamel, who you are quite familiar with. Under Flamel's training, we made a tri-ring bond, which allowed us to strengthen our friendship and abilities. It is a very large step for the three of you, but you are most definitely ready for it._

_Good luck, Harry. And remember- never be afraid to love_

_To Harry James Potter I bestow_

_All of my magical instruments. You may ask one of the portraits to explain how they work, and I asked that they be returned to the current head of Hogwarts when the war is over_

_My Pensieve, which should be emptied and all the memories put into bottles and used for yourself_

_My ring_

_My memory collection_

_One sixth of my estate_

_-Albus Dumbledore"_

A/N: Ok, ok, I know. No emotion in this one. But this is a serious explanatory moment. Some emotions come into play next chapter, which will be called…never mind, you probably don't care! Just kidding. Here's a hint- In Sorcerer's Stone Jo uses the opposite of my chapter title. Love y'all!


	3. The Journey to Platform 9 34

The Journey to Platform 9 ¾

"HARRY! HARRY?"

Harry heard Hermione screams, but what did he care? He was going off to his doom, he was probably never return to Hogwarts again, and all she could care about was that they were going to be late.

"Harry, there you are! Why didn't you come when I was calling you?" panted his friend.

"I'm not a dog Hermione," he replied coldly.

"Oh Harry, don't be that way," she said quietly, sitting down on the bench next to him.

"How am I supposed to be, Hermione?" he practically screamed, staring at the white tomb in front of them. "I'm 16, dropping out of Hogwarts to go to certain death, my best friends are in love with each other, I just had to dump my girlfriend, and my godfather _and_ my mentor have both snuffed it! My parents died when I was ONE YEAR OLD! And as an added bonus, there's a psychotic murder trying to kill me! But, oh yeah, I guess I should really be nice and friendly and pretend everything's perfect! Yeah that's what I'm going to do."

"Harry….." she said and wrapped her arms around his neck. "That's crap. You aren't going off to certain death! And technically, we're only dropping out for as long as it takes to kill him. Which won't be long because we're going to kill him in no time! Oh, and Ron and I aren't in love."

"Yeah you are," whispered Harry, a tear rolling down his cheek onto Hermione's shoulder. "I've seen you two together. You're mad about each other, Hermione."

"That doesn't mean we're in love! I fancy him, but I don't know how that's going to work out… I mean, we fight so much! And we would never have a chance to go out, because we'll be with you all the time, and-"

"Oh, so now I'm a burden, am I?" Harry hissed. Why on earth was this topic affecting him so? He didn't fancy Hermione- why should he care if Ron did? Although it was rather comforting to be close to her. And she'd grown up nicely. The bushiness of her hair was becoming less noticeable and her eyes had darkened a bit to turn to the color of chocolate. And her body….

"Of course not!" she exclaimed nervously. "I just meant-"

"Its fine, it's fine," he said, ashamed of snapping at her. He never meant to make her upset. "This is just taking a bit of a toll on me."

"Don't let it," she whispered and gave him a soft kiss on his cheek.

"YOU DID WHAT? YOU DID WHAT?"

"I. Dumped. Her," said an exhausted Harry. He'd been dreading this for a while, and it had turned out worse than he'd expected.

"That was a rhetorical question," seethed Ron through clenched teeth. "Why the hell-"

"It's too dangerous, Ron! She's only 16, she's too young to be leaving Hogwarts and fighting Death Eaters!"

"SO? You could see her on holidays and when we visit Hogwarts. And you could write! And- YOU DUMPED MY SISTER!" he yelled and punched Harry in the face.

"What about Dumbledore's letter. He said don't be afraid to love, damn it! That's exactly what you're doing you prat! My sister loved you for 5 years, and you dump her because you don't want to have along distance relationship! You bloody-".He huffed and stomped out.

Harry stared at the slammed compartment door in amazement. Never in 6 years had Ron hurt him. And now? Over this?

"Harry!" shrieked Hermione as she blew into the compartment. "I was on my way back from the toilet when I saw Ron storming off, and your nose is bloody! I suppose he didn't take it very well, did he!"

"Ub, no. Wub you minb fixing dis?" asked Harry, reffering to his broken nose.

"Oh, of course!" she said flustered. "_Episkey!_"

"Thanks," said Harry, rubbing his nose. "I never thought-"

"Oh, he'll get over himself. He's just being… Ron," she concluded with a sigh. "He's becoming really protective of Gin. And well- she's been crying about this, so I can't say I'm not surprised. But are you _sure_ you're all right?"

"Just a bit shaken, Hermione. I mean he's never tried to hurt me physically before!"

"I doubt it will happen again. You two are best friends on a level I could never hope to achieve with either of you!"

"What are you talking about? You're the glue that holds us together! Everything we've done together could not have happened without you! And you take care of us, and you sympathize, and you make us feel good about ourselves! You're the best friend I ever could have asked for, Hermione!" he said and gave her a tight hug. "I love you!"

"Oh so this is why you dumped my sister, is it," hissed Ron, who had suddenly appeared at the door. "To go out with my girl! YOU KNOW I LIKE HER, YOU BASTARD! HOW COULD YOU!"

"Ron! No, it's not what it-"

"He fancies me?" asked a shocked Hermione.

"Yes, he fancies you, you idiot! But we have bigger problems! Like how he thinks we're going out!"

Harry sprinted through the compartments and nearly tackled Ron when he found him. "It's not what it seems, mate! I was just telling her what a great friend she was, and how much I love her _as a friend_."

"Just as a friend," repeated Ron cautiously.

"Just as a friend," replied Harry, expecting an insane Mr. Crouch to show up any minute. This was so much like his conversation with Viktor Krum. Why did they always suspect _him_?

Hermione came running up a second later. "Is everything-"

"You don't fancy Harry do you?" asked Ron abruptly.

"No!" she said, shocked. "Certainly not!"

Ron took a step forward and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. Something was boiling inside Harry. It wasn't disgust or embarrassment. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but it felt something like… jealousy?

"Just so we're clear on my feelings," Ron said to Hermione, whose head had promptly turned into a mushy red tomato.

"Um. I. Uhhhh."

"I'll take that as 'I like you too'."

She nodded happily. "Harry, are you OK with this? I mean we were talking about this by the lake before, and it seemed like you were a little upset about this whole thing."

"Nah," he said, lying through his teeth. "I'm fine." That stupid, stupid brotherly feeling. Oh god.

He realized now what was happening. He _did_ like Hermione. Why did he have to come to this conclusion _now_? When he had to deal with the fact that she was dating his best friend who had just blown up for dumping his sister. Something like this would earn him loss of limb. And she'd said she didn't fancy him, just 5 minutes before….

Oh, what a tangled web he was weaving.

A/N: Okay, so I like soap opera drama. Don't shoot me for it! At least this is starting to get a little Harry/Hermione now. In my original version, there was no action between them till chapter ten or so, and no hints of it either. My best friend thought it was Ron/Hermione for a while! By the way, thanks to everyone who reviewed! I'm glad you all liked it, and PLEASE KEEP READING! I'll probably do an update every other day up until chapter 10. Then it could get longer, because that's when I started to get writers block. Well peace out readers, and please read my next chapter: The double wedding! (P.S. Kudos to anyone who guessed the chapter title!)


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